“The fight against Daesh left deep wounds and scars in the country. It will take patience ... to strengthen Iraq again,” she said when asked why Germany was bracing for a longer-term engagement in Iraq. German forces will also advise the Iraqi Defense Ministry on issues such as mine-clearing and development of defenses against nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, von der Leyen said. She welcomed news that Iraq’s Parliament had elected lawmaker Mohammed Al-Halbousi as speaker on Saturday, calling it an important step in the right direction. On Saturday, during a visit to German forces in Jordan, von der Leyen had said she could not rule out a longer-term deployment of German forces in the Middle East.

Source: Ethiopian News September 17, 2018 19:18 UTC